What different kits do you have?

[Edgedance]

I've enjoyed reading this forum, I thought I'd post some of my thoughts.

I was thinking about this today, as a friend thought it was strange that I carried a lighter though I don't smoke.

I was thinking that I had unconciously organized my gear in degrees, to wit:

I think I can survive for several days with what I have normally on my person:

a good lockback knife (Sypderco Chinook)
a SAK with many tools (Swiss Champ)
something to make fire (butane lighter)
A flashight (on my keychain)
extra cash (in a slit in the liner of my wallet for emergencies)
A loud whistle (on keychain)
signal mirror (actually tin foil on the back of my old library card in my wallet)
50 feet of monofilament line and three fishooks (taped to an index card in my wallet also)

I think I could live for a week, at least out of my car. I have in my car:

Cash
A sleeping bag
A therm-a-rest pad
A tent
A coleman multi-fuel stove, which takes gas and coleman fuel
a sigg bottle filled with coleman fuel
a peak one aluminum cook set
A case of MRE's
a case of butane lighters in a ziplock bag
a box of candles
a gallon of water
a water filter (Katydyn)
a shovel
a saw
an axe
a siphon tube
a hundred feet of nylon rope
clothes for cold weather in a stuff sak
three changes of basic clothes in a stuff sak
a good first aid kit
rainwear
tire patch stuff, jumper cables, flares
a tool kit with wrenches, hammer, and screwdrivers.
A flashlight, with extra bulbs and batteries.
A signal mirror
A large tarp
two collapsable 2 gallon water bottles
an empty two gallon gas can
ziploc bag with a pad of paper and a box of ballpoint pens.
My backpack.
My spare pair of hiking boots, and a bag of socks.

This may seem excessive, but I used to travel a lot, and camp out of my car, I got kind of used to hopping in the car and having enough supplies for a couple of days. I'm fairly adjusted to the fact that the trunk is almost always 2/3 full.

I'm fairly confident in my person, that I'm good for a couple of days, if I can get to my car, I'm really good, I've lived for a week out of my car in the past, and not really run out of supplies.

Anyway, I started carrying all this stuff in my car as I was often picking up and going somewhere without a lot of warning. But I added to it, and to what I carry in my wallet and on my person, when I started thinking about survival. I'd be interested to hear what other people keep about their self, person, and home.

Best,

Todd (edgedance)

 

[Greg Davenport]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Edgedance:
I started carrying all this stuff in my car as I was often picking up and going somewhere without a lot of warning.
</font>

Todd,

Hmmmmmmmm, I hope no one was chasing you

I use a similar concept when in the woods.

1. Small kit on body
2. Medium kit in camelback which is either on me or in my backpack when wearing the backpack
3. Large kit in backpack

Thus if I get seperated from my backpack (I would be wearing my camelback) I have a small and medium kit.... and if for some unforseen reason I get seperated from my camelback, I have my small personal kit. God forbid I get seperated from the small kit while taking a d$#@p (perhaps a bear start chasing me, the cargo pocket rips while trying to pull up my pants, and out falls my small kit

).... If this were to happen, I'd have to rely on my brain to improvise using the survival kit mother nature provides.

My kits all revolve around the "five survival essentials" and carry tools needed to meet these needs. Recall that these five essentials are:

1. Personal protection (clothing, shelter, fire)
2. Signaling (manmade and natural)
3. Sustenance (water and food ID, procurement, and preperation)
4. Travel (with and without a map and compass)
5. Health (psychological stress, environmental and traumatic injury)

Best,


------------------
Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
Simply Survival's Web Page
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?

 

[Spectre]

I have often kept a knife, lighter, and light on my person. Got to remember the lighter again!

I have often used the triple approach as well.

A few simple items, always with me.
A small survival kit with more equipment (space blanket, hooks, beef jerky, tinder, filament, compass, another light, alcohol swabs)
A much larger kit in a pack to include clothes, camp-sized knife, firearm, and ammo. (Current pack gun is a 22LR/22M Single-Six with 100 rounds of Magnum, a few hundred rounds of 22LR, and 20 rounds of .22 LR tracer for signaling.)

 

[Edgedance]

Thanks all for the good responses, nice to know others are thinking the same as me.

Actually I have a good "medium" kit in the backpack in my car, and I agree with thinking in three levels, small, medium, large.

Does anyone else think in terms of what they have in their house? I really don't aside from keeping some soup in the cabinet. I imagine one's house is the 'ultimate' survival kit.

And Greg, no I wasn't being chased

But once you get used to being able to go camping after work on friday without any packing time if you really really have to get away... believe me you never go back!

Best wishes,

Todd (edgedance)